PRASA starts testing new long-haul passenger loco

12th January 2015

By: Natasha Odendaal

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

Font size: - +

The country was one step closer to delivering a multimodal, multifacet, integrated, accessible and reliable transport system as the first of 70 Spain-manufactured AFRO 4000-series locomotives is tested for power and functionality.

Following the unveiling of the long-haul passenger locomotive in Cape Town last month, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) hosted Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, PRASA chairperson Dr Popo Molefe, PRASA CEO Lucky Montana and Members of the Portfolio Committee on Transport on an AFRO4001 locomotive-hauled Premier Classe train trip to Stellenbosch on Monday.

The showcase by PRASA was meant to demonstrate the new locomotives’ resilience, strength, reliability and speed.

Peters on Monday said the rail renewal and modernisation would go a long way in dealing with the loss of faith in rail transport owing to unreliable and unsafe commuter rail transportation with high levels of overcrowding in trains and slow journey times.

“In fast-tracking the modernisation of public passenger rail transport, government is investing R172.3-billion over the next ten years towards capital projects that will transform passenger rail transport in our country,” she pointed out.

Directed by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee strategic integrated projects one through five, the construction of new large rail lines was already under way, with the procurement process for the new rolling stock programme already concluded.

Over R50-billion had been injected into the manufacture of 3 600 passenger coaches – equating to 600 trains – with another R3.5-billion set aside for the manufacture of high power, efficient, fast and reliable locomotives.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION